AP
Elizabeth Dillon
(gmdlawfirm.com photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ President Barack Obama has nominated Elizabeth K. Dillon for the bench of the U.S. District Court for the western district of Virginia. Dillon’s selection Thursday was among seven nominees nationwide announced by the president. Dillon is a former assistant city attorney for Roanoke. She has been affiliated with several law firms, most recently Guynn, Memmer & Dillon. She handles trial and appellate matters in federal and state courts. Dillon is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) _ Busch Gardens theme parks removed some props from their Halloween attractions after people in Virginia complained about decapitated heads. This came in the wake of the beheadings of three westerners by Islamic state militants in the Middle East. Spokesmen for both parks said Thursday that in light of recent events, some props would have had the unintended consequence of appearing insensitive and won’t be part of this year’s Howl-O-Scream attraction. They wouldn’t say exactly which props were removed. Complaints cropped up recently in Williamsburg when the Virginia Gazette newspaper ran a photo of five severed head props that were part of the attraction. The spokesmen for the parks said the props for the Howl-O-Scream attractions were designed and bought months ago.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ Two Roanoke residents arrested in Washington, D.C., on suspicion of passport fraud have admitted their guilt. The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1o4b4G2) reports that the two admitted to conspiring to procure fake papers from two African embassies. A third defendant in the case has asked for a trial. According to court documents, the three schemed to bribe embassy officials for a passport under a phony name. They expected to give the passport to a fourth person who went along on the ride. The fourth person said he would furnish $1,000 in bribe money and accept the passport and then catch a plane out of the United States to avoid facing state drug charges. That person was actually a federal informant.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia is the latest state to detect a respiratory illness caused by an uncommon virus similar to the germ that causes the common cold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that Virginia is among 16 states where the infection enterovirus 68 has been confirmed. State public health officials say seven of 10 children have tested positive for the virus. Dr. Laurie Forlana is the state epidemiologist. She said Wednesday all seven children are within Richmond and the surrounding region. Forlano said the median age of the children is 6. The suspected germ is an uncommon strain of a very common family of viruses that typically hit from summertime through autumn. The virus can cause including runny noses, coughing and wheezing.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The $90 million in cuts the McAuliffe administration is seeking from Virginia’s public colleges and universities this fiscal year and next are likely to spare students. Instead, the savings will be achieved by keeping vacant unfilled positions, through energy conservation, deferred maintenance and other measures. While no layoffs are expected in the first round of cuts, higher education officials say they can’t be ruled out next year when $45 million will be trimmed anew. Cuts in financial aid are off the table, and Gov. Terry McAuliffe is discouraging tuition increases. The cuts are aimed at filling an $882 million budget shortfall. Other measures include dipping into the state’s so-called rainy day fund and making cuts to various agencies and local governments. The higher ed cuts are due in Richmond Friday.
Virginia AG Mark Herring
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia attorney general’s office is creating the position of a statewide coordinator to prepare local inmates for their return to society. Attorney General Mark R. Herring also announced Monday the creation of a re-entry portal to assist in that effort. While the state has worked in recent years to assist the re-entry of state prison inmates, local correctional centers have had little guidance or resources to help the men and women held in their lockups. The re-entry coordinator will identify and address service gaps and help coordinate communications between sheriffs’ departments and government agencies. They include workforce development programs and mental health services. Herring said re-entry programs have been proven to reduce recidivism and save taxpayers’ dollars. An estimated 29,000 people are held in jails statewide.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and state lawmakers are announcing cuts to state agencies, universities, and local governments to help fill a projected budget gap and preserve Virginia’s AAA bond rating. The governor and Republican lawmakers said at a Capitol news conference Monday that they have agreed to cuts of $192 million to state agencies, $90 million for higher education, and $60 million for aide to local governments over the next two years. The budget plan won’t affect K-12 spending and will not include any increase in fees or taxes. McAuliffe praised GOP lawmakers for their willingness to work with him to address a projected $882 million shortfall over the biennium, saying the bipartisan approach was needed “to send a signal to Wall Street” and preserve the state’s sterling bond rating.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to release details on budget cuts for the next two years. McAuliffe and leaders of the General Assembly are scheduled to attend a news conference on the agreement Monday. McAuliffe announced the agreement Saturday after appearing at the annual meeting of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association. McAuliffe has said officials are projecting a revenue shortfall of nearly $2.4 billion over a three-year period. State agencies have until Friday to submit plans to cut spending by 5 percent in the first year and 7 percent in the second year.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A report by the investment rating agency Standard & Poor’s says the income gap is undermining budgets in Virginia and other states. The S&P report released Monday says Virginia is among the 10 states most reliant on income tax revenues. It concludes that income inequality is contributing to slower economic growth in the U.S. and as a result, states are facing rising tensions over whether to raise taxes or cut spending to balance their budgets. The report says that average annual state revenue growth fell to 5 percent, from 10 percent, from 1980 to 2011. At the same time, the top 1 percent of earners doubled their share of total income. Virginia saw average annual tax revenue growth has slowed to around 3.6 percent per year since 2000.
Steven Collins
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ The state Board of Medicine has suspended the license of a Roanoke County physician charged with possessing child pornography. The board entered an order last week suspending the license of Dr. Steven Collins. The board found that Collins presented a “substantial danger” to public health or safety. The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/ZjBpKt) reports federal authorities found images of child porn on a computer at Collins’ private practice in August when they arrived to investigate another matter. Collins has been terminated as medical director of the Roanoke Treatment Center, a methadone clinic.